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Saturday, October 26, 2013

My #ecco13

Once again, the ECOO conference was one to remember.
Thinking back over other events, I started trying to pin down what made #ecoo13
the same, better, different…

I was always wishing in previous years that I had made a
list of sessions I had attended so, for posterity, here goes. Of course my
Lanyrd account says I went to 23 events. Oh well, that was just me trying to
make up my mind with a long list/short list approach.

#ecoo13 sessions

Keynote with Amber Mac

Raspberry Pi – Rob Robson

Redefining Reading – Alanna King

Video Game Integration, Intermediate Math – Andrew Dobbie

Scratch as a Writing Tool – Ray Mercer

iPads and Writing - Todd Gribbon... and Me:)

Run With Alana

Paperless Math Classroom – Brian Aspinall

And a wild card, which changed many of my views and will
likely affect me on an ongoing basis…

Office365 and London DSB – Chris Demers

Followed by two lengthy visits at the Microsoft booth.

Differences

I think this year I did less rushing and gave myself more
time to reflect and digest information from the sessions. My inclination is
always to plan every minute and catch my breath three days later.

Another difference was having people from my board at ECOO!
My principal co-presented which was way less stressful for me and likely a lot
more informative for the audience. Also two of the IT people I really enjoy
working with (and relying on) from the board level were there. I hope they had
as much fun as I did!

I would say I enjoyed the social times more by having dinner
with a small group and meeting new people, and of course with the beautiful
dawn run. Truly a standout memory!

Trend

In my personal growth and planning at this time I am drawn
very strongly towards the STEM areas. Imagine my delight in being able to
attend not one but several sessions involving teaching intermediate students
about programming, to use as a method of exploring the curriculum. I am in awe of
the ability of this conference to allow each of us to move forward on the path
that suits us, making huge leaps in understanding, and gaining resources. Right
now.

Main message

I heard over and over from various speakers: “It’s not about
the tools, it’s about the learning.” And as well, “Why not have the students
make the tool and then use it to learn.” Wow. This ties in so closely with my
own goals.

Thank you to everyone who made ECOO13 possible. Ok, thanks
again! Now I will stop.

P.S. As for Office 365 and its role in my future, that will
be another blog post.